Goldstein Johnson & Cole (2024 re-write) - 4. Preparations

Early evening three weeks later, Marty and The Major were enjoying pre-meal drinks in The Grenadiers Arms when two men entered and approached them. Nothing about them attracted attention from other customers, but to the trained eye, they gave off the air of a military background. That was given away by the way they held themselves as they walked. The slight limp of the shorter man was almost unnoticeable.

The Major stood, smiling as he held out his hand. “Good evening, Captain, Lieutenant. Please take a seat.”

The shorter man addressed them. “Good evening, Major, Captain.” The men sat as the formal greetings ended.

“Okay, lads, now we've got that out of the way, let's drop the formalities.” Marty stood with the empty glasses in his hand. “We all know each other, and let's have a fresh round of drinks before we eat. The same for you, Alex?” The Major nodded. “And for you, lads?”

“We'll have shandy, please, Marty. It's better to keep a clear head in our business,” replied Drew, the shorter man. “Do you need a hand... shit, sorry, that's a poor choice of words. I mean, can I help you?”

“Don't worry about it.” Marty was not offended. Waving his prosthetic he continued “Yes, please, a full pair of hands will carry the drinks better than my one. This thing might look good but it's bloody useless when it comes to carrying drinks.” Marty's face lit up with a smile. Drew and Marty returned with drinks. While enjoying the drinks, the group caught up with each others’ lives.

The men got to business after an enjoyable meal of fresh sea bass, vegetables and sautéed potatoes, followed by lemon sorbet. Aiden, the taller man, started the conversation. “So, guys, I understand that you need some assistance.”

“Well, it's more like advice at the moment, but some assistance may be needed somewhere down the line.” Marty started. “I'll Let Alex explain. It's his boys that may need some help.”

The Major cleared his throat and began. Ox gave the men some background information about 'his boys' and went on to explain the current situation regarding Ian, Kevin and Joseph. Then he asked if there was any possibility Drew and Aiden could help.

“You may not need much help, if any, but a low level of personal security wouldn't do any harm. That's for the lads on any visits and Joseph while he remains in Israel. That's more Aiden's side of the business than mine, so I'll let him assess and advise. He will need up-to-date photographs or to meet the people to provide effective cover.” Drew paused and looked thoughtful before continuing. “If there are any problems regarding paperwork and documents, I can look into it and probably deal with that. I'd really need to know and see what they have, then I can properly assess what can, and needs, to be done.”

“I can introduce you to Ian and Kevin, but Joseph is in Israel, as are his documents, so a photo and copies are the best I can do there.” The Major felt uncomfortable as he continued. “But my financ.…”

“Don't worry about finances, Alex.” Aiden butted in. “You are family, and this is for your family, so it's covered in full. Consider it us repaying our debt to you.”

Hearing this, The Major became emotional. He knew his friends were loyal and faithful. Their support once again confirmed that, and his eyes felt heavy. He said a simple “Thank You.” Nothing else needed to be said among his comrades.

Information was passed on and arrangements made, as the conversation continued until late in the evening. The only details left were confirmation of travel and accommodation that would be given in due course.

Kevin soon discovered that arranging flights to Israel was an easy task, and round-trip flights from Manchester to Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv had been booked with Lufthansa. Both outbound and return flights involved a brief stopover in Munich. The only available tickets were in business class but were booked regardless of cost. Isaac Lehrer, Mark's brother-in-law, would meet them at Ben Gurion airport and take them to his home on the outskirts of Jerusalem, where they would be staying, and Joseph was now living.

Ian spent a lot of his time at their shop in Prestwich working with Sean to make sure Sean was ready to look after the shops while they were away. Before Ian and Kevin were ready to depart, Sean was running the business and giving daily performance reports. Sean was proving his value to the business.

Kevin had a much harder task researching the overseas adoption and legal guardianship processes. It was very tedious and complex, and no matter which path they took, bringing Joseph to the UK meant that they may still need to be approved by their local authority. What Kevin did discover was that if Joseph was a UK citizen legal guardianship could be a lot easier. They also needed to be approved by the authorities in Israel and be granted legal guardianship or allowed to adopt according to Israeli law. All of this meant that it could be a long and expensive process.

As daunting as it seemed, Ian and Kevin had taken the initial steps to register as foster/adoptive parents with their local authority. The forms were lengthy, asking personal questions about their background and current personal circumstances. After completing the forms and an initial interview, they had passed stage one. Now, numerous personal references, medical reports and a full criminal background check were required before going on to the next stage.

The next stage would be to attend a training course that all prospective foster/adoptive parents must take. This would be followed by a final assessment. In the meantime, they had to go to Israel to meet Joseph, who was living with Isaac and Shamira Lehrer, and their twin boys now.

At two in the morning on departure day, Ian and Kevin dragged themselves sleepily out of bed. They had gone to bed early the night before, but a mixture of excitement and nervousness resulted in a restless sleep for them both. Fresh coffee and showers woke them before they dressed, ready for their journey. After placing their suitcases near the door, Kevin made one last check to ensure that their passports, airline tickets and wallets were in their pockets.

Kevin watched Ian pacing to and fro in their large lounge before he spoke. “I'm guessing that you're nervous?”

Ian stopped in his tracks glancing at Kevin. “Yes, but not for the reasons you're thinking. The flight isn't bothering me.”

“Really?” Kevin questioned. “I know you're not the biggest fan of flying, so if it's not that what's bothering you, what is? Are you nervous about meeting Joseph?”

'Yes, but it's not just that.” The look on Ian's face told Kevin everything.

“I know, you're afraid that Joseph won't like us, aren't you?” Ian nodded. “And you're afraid that we will let Manny down.” Ian nodded again. “Well, do you remember what Pop told us yesterday?”

“Yeah,” Ian half smiled. “He said if we just relax and be ourselves Joseph will love us.”

“That's right. He also said to trust the lawyers to do their job and if we have any problems to call him, remember?” Kevin paused momentarily to gather his thoughts. “If we do our best we won't let Manny down either, got it?”

“Yeah, but...”

“No ‘buts’ Mr Johnson! We will bring Joseph home, maybe not this time, but we will bring him home. I can feel it.” Kevin suppressed his own nervous feelings as he tilted his head up slightly and drew Ian into a passionate kiss.

It was just before three o'clock when Steve arrived to take them to Manchester airport. By 3:30, he had dropped them off at Terminal 1. Saying their goodbyes to Steve, Kevin and Ian entered departures and went to the Lufthansa desk. There, they checked in their suitcases and were given boarding passes before being directed to the express security gate. After passing through security, the first stop was to find comfortable seats in the business class lounge and get a much-needed coffee while waiting to board their flight. Eventually, they were called to the boarding gate and were among the first to board. After a stopover in Munich to board the connecting flight. As expected, they reached Tel Aviv late in the afternoon.